


5 Man Dates

by MintSlice



Category: DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Crushes, Fluff, M/M, Slow Burn, cute dates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-16 00:20:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17539112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MintSlice/pseuds/MintSlice
Summary: After Platinum Jail falls and Aoba has scrapped everyone, they all enjoy a relaxed, ordinary life going about their daily jobs and hanging out at Aoba's house.One day, Aoba decides that they should all go out to places or other people's houses for something different, because they're always at his house.Noiz has to figure out how to navigate these group dates with his ever growing crush on Aoba without pissing off the other men.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Suuuuuuuuuuper tiny starting chapter but this was kinda inspired by the official comic anthology, where they just all hang out and do random stuff together or run into each other in their daily lives.
> 
> I told myself I wouldn't start another multi-chapter fic until my other one was finished, but apparently I'm a gosh darned liar so here we go!

It became an unspoken agreement between the five of them that they would all civilly hang out at Aoba’s house every now and again. Lately it had become a weekly thing, with everyone relaxing back after their various weeks working, or whatever else it was that they did with their days. Noiz found himself smooshed up against Aoba with his holo-screens up all around him as he continued his work. For him, work never really stopped, and Aoba never commented on it, apparently just happy to have him around. Aoba had Ren on his lap and he and Clear were fussing over how fluffy he was, Ren seemingly eating up the attention. Koujaku and Mink were out on the balcony smoking, something they had come to do together a lot lately. Noiz leaned back against the bed and took a breath, giving his eyes and fingers a break from all the typing and staring at the bright screens. He didn’t dare move, because that would jostle Aoba and he might not be able to settle back down next to him this close again if he shifted even in the slightest. Noiz instead closed his eyes and rested his head on the soft mattress behind him, just enjoying the environment and Aoba’s warmth next to him. Things continued like that for a few more minutes until Mink and Koujaku came back inside the room and Aoba spoke up to address them all.

“You know, I’ve been thinking, but you guys always come out to hang around here, but we never go to anyone else’s house. Even if it’s not to someone’s place, maybe we could go out somewhere like, I don’t know, maybe go see a movie? Or go eat ramen? Something like that? What do you guys think?” Aoba looked around the room and was met with the blank stares of everyone around him. Clear was the first to pipe up and respond to the request.

“I’d love to have Aoba-san and everyone to come to my house, but I’m afraid it’s not big enough for everyone.” He looked like a kicked puppy as he explained, but perked up in an instant as he continued, “But going out places with everyone would be very fun! I think it’s a great idea!” Aoba broke into a relieved smile as he got at least one positive response. Mink looked disinterested but Koujaku spoke up, too, coming to sit on the opposite side of Aoba’s little table.

“Yeah, that sounds good. We could even go visit Mizuki at Black Needle sometimes, too. Maybe even make it a regular thing.” Aoba’s smile beamed even brighter as he got another positive response, and turned to Noiz, obviously thinking that Mink would probably go along with the crowd at that point.

“What do you think, Noiz? Maybe you could take a real break from work every once in a while?” Aoba joked, pushing his shoulder against Noiz’s. Noiz sat back up straight and looked to face Aoba. Thanks to modern technology he could literally work everywhere, even in that crowded, noisy bar of Aoba’s friend’s.

“Sure,” was all he said in response, but Aoba’s face kept its broad grin, apparently taking it as a positive confirmation. Noiz kept his face expressionless, but he couldn’t hide the slight acceleration of his heartbeat as Aoba looked at him with such a happy expression. He returned to his work immediately as everyone else started to chat about what kind of activities they could do in the future.


	2. Sushi!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys go out for sushi and have a generally decent time (except maybe Koujaku)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things:  
> I am a glutton and I love kaiten sushi (or sushi train, as we call it here, haha).  
> This is definitely taken from the official comic anthology, though that one is told from Koujaku's perspective and I didn't copy it word for word, this is definitely more about Noiz and Aoba just eating than anything.
> 
> I have been to kaiten sushi in Japan numerous times, but the food they're eating here is based off of what they offer at the sushi train I go to in the city here, which is $40 all you can eat every Saturday night! (Sushi is expensive here, I miss 100yen sushi plates!!!!)
> 
> Aoba calling Noiz a kid for the sushi he's eating comes directly from one night when I went to a sushi place with my workmates in Japan for a friend's farewell party and one of my co-workers asked me "Are you a kid or something??" And when I asked him what he meant he said "You only ordered the egg and the corn sushi!", because everything else was fish and I don't eat fish (And I didn't eat other seafood at the time, either, this is going back to when I was like 19 mind you, hahaha...)

It was Koujaku who suggested they try the new sushi restaurant that just opened near Aoba’s work. Noiz hadn’t tried sushi before, and the idea of the dishes circling the restaurant on a little conveyer belt intrigued him so he had no problems agreeing with the old man for once.

They all met with Aoba outside Junk Shop Heibon after his shift, that had run into the evening, and walked to the restaurant from there. Clear and Aoba were walking at the head of the group, excitedly chatting away with Ren scuttling along between them. Koujaku and Mink walked slightly behind them, not speaking to anyone, just moving with the crowd. Which left Noiz at the very back, hands in his pockets as he followed the group. 

When they reached the restaurant, Aoba stood by the door and ushered them all in. Noiz brushed up against him by accident as he stepped towards the door, and their eyes met for a split second. Aoba didn’t seem to feel the same spark of nerves that Noiz felt, as he smiled back at Noiz happily and followed him inside. Being the last two inside, they took the last two empty spaces at the end of the table, Aoba coming to sit down between Noiz and Koujaku. Clear had taken the seat closest to the little gap in the wall where the sushi came out, seemingly more excited to try the new food than Noiz was. Aoba and Koujaku chatted between themselves as Noiz simply stared at the food slowly circling the little restaurant. There were so many different types of sushi and he had completely underestimated the sushi chefs. Aoba noticed after a while that Noiz hadn’t taken a plate yet and turned to address him.

“There’s a menu here if you don’t know what the different sushi are.” He said, handing Noiz a laminated sheet of paper with all sorts of little images of the foods served at the restaurant. Noiz nodded his thanks and surveyed the menu. He noticed that most of the sushi featured fish, both cooked and raw options, but there were a few chicken and beef options as well, even one that was just omelette. Noiz decided to play it safe and took the omelette sushi first, staring at it for a little bit before trying a bite. 

“Sweet…” Noiz muttered to himself. He heard a little chuckle beside him and turned to find Aoba watching him with a grin on his face.

“What are you, a kid or something?” He said, then plucked another plate off of the conveyer belt and set it in front of Noiz. “This one’s corn and mayonnaise, you’ll probably like it too. You actually like sweet things, don’t you?” Aoba still smiled as he watched Noiz pick up the new sushi and take a bite.

“Mm, sweet.” He mumbled and Aoba’s eyes scrunched closed as his grin widened. 

“Yup, knew you’d like it.” He said, then returned to his own food, getting caught up in conversation with Koujaku and Mink again. Noiz turned back to the plates in front of him and finished the sweet morsels. He took the menu again and browsed through the different options. He decided to prove Aoba wrong and tried to pick a more mature flavour. Raw salmon, he decided on. He took a bite and let the fishy taste settle on his tongue. He certainly wasn’t used to seafood, but he didn’t find it terribly unpleasant, either. As he munched away on the salmon, he turned the menu over to find a bunch of dishes that didn’t appear to come around on the conveyer belt. He turned to Aoba and held the menu out in front of him.

“Hey, what are these ones? Why don’t they come out with the sushi?” He asked, and Aoba turned to face him again, this time turning his whole body towards him.

“Mmm, let’s see. Oh! Those ones are special order items. Sometimes they put them out, but you can just order them directly from the chef.” Aoba explained. Noiz nodded as Aoba raised his hand and called out to the chef. “Which one do you want to try?”

“I want to try this… Karaage? Oh, they have takoyaki too, can we order that?” Noiz looked so innocent listing off the things he wanted to eat and Aoba couldn’t help smiling again at him.

“Sure.” He said, then turned back to the chef and ordered the items. Before Noiz knew it, two dishes of fresh, hot food were placed in front of him. He surveyed the karaage first, already familiar with takoyaki, and took a bite. The steam from the freshly cooked chicken burned his mouth and he gripped around for a drink when he felt Aoba place a glass of water in his hand.

“Sorry,” Noiz said quietly and Aoba waved him off.

“It’s hot when it’s fresh, huh? I burn my mouth all the time, especially on the takoyaki.” Aoba chuckled, placing another piece of sushi in his mouth. He munched away as he watched Noiz attempt the takoyaki. He bit it open cautiously and pulled away quickly when steam came pouring out of it. He had learned to blow on his food, something he picked up from watching Aoba when they had hot pot, and finally put the whole ball into his mouth. He didn’t notice Aoba watching him until he went to grab another piece. Aoba pulled back a little, eyes widening ever so slightly, as if he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t have been, and Noiz smirked at him in his trademark way.

“Here, try some,” Noiz said, and held out the little ball to Aoba’s mouth. He watched intently as Aoba’s mouth opened and closed around his chopsticks, pulling the ball into his mouth and chewing slowly, scrunching up his eyes at the heat.

“Mmm, ‘s so good.” Aoba said with his mouth full. Noiz couldn’t handle how adorable he was, and picked up a piece of karaage to hold out to him.

“Here, try this, too.” He said, pushing the chicken towards Aoba’s mouth. Again, Aoba took the offering without much thought.

“Mmff, mmm, I love karaage too!” Aoba exclaimed after he swallowed. His face then lit up and he took a plate from the conveyer belt and placed it between them. “Here, you should try this. It’s tenpura prawn, it’s pretty sweet actually, I think you’ll like it.” Noiz couldn’t help notice that Aoba was deliberately picking out foods he thought were sweet for him, so he was determined to find other foods they could share to show him he wasn’t a kid.

“Mm, it’s good,” Noiz said between bites, then pulled a random dish off the conveyer and placed it in front of Aoba, “What about this one, try it,” he said, picking up a piece for himself. Aoba looked at him suspiciously, but took the other piece for himself and ate it happily.

“Mmm, seared tuna! I love it!” Aoba said, again with his mouth full. Noiz felt like this one tasted even fishier than the salmon, but still enjoyed it. He reached for another plate, this time knowing what it was, and placed it between them again.

“This one’s sukiyaki beef, apparently.” He said and Aoba took in a breath with joy.

“Look at you, all knowledgeable about the sushi!” Aoba teased and put the entire maki piece in his mouth, grinning like an idiot while he chewed. Noiz wasn’t aware of the lopsided grin he was giving back to Aoba, and ate his own piece. “Oh, I know!” Aoba spoke up once he’d swallowed his piece and called over the chef again. “How about seaweed salad?” He asked Noiz, who nodded back, curiously. When the dish arrived, it didn’t look too appetising. It looked soggy and sad, with sprinkles of different seasoning in it. “Oooh, this one has octopus in it, too. You liked the takoyaki, right? You’ll probably like this, too!” Noiz simply nodded and picked up his chopsticks to pick at the soggy plant and springy meat.

“Mmn, not bad…” He said, taking another mouthful. Aoba leaned on his hands happily, just watching him enjoy the new foods. It was when he looked up from the dish to look at Aoba again that he saw Koujaku staring at him from over Aoba’s shoulder. If looks could kill, Noiz would be 6 feet under already. He wasn’t sure he’d seen the other man glare quite that harshly at him before, and it clicked that he was jealous of Noiz getting all of Aoba’s attention. The knowledge made Noiz leer back at him with a devilish grin as he picked up some more seaweed and held it out to Aoba’s mouth. “Here, have some.” He said, and Aoba perked up, opening his mouth lazily and waiting for Noiz to spoon feed him. Noiz kept an eye on Koujaku to measure his reactions, and was greatly satisfied when he could see the other seething with rage.

“I’m going out for a smoke!” Koujaku suddenly announced to no one in particular, and stormed out of the restaurant. Mink, who had been watching Clear with curiosity and amusement, decided to leave as well, presumably joining his new smoking buddy for a puff.

“What was with that?” Aoba asked, mostly to himself, as he turned to watch Koujaku and Mink walk outside. “Anyway, what else do you want to try, Noiz?” Noiz’s eyes returned to Aoba quickly, not wanting to waste any more time on the old man.

“How about dessert?” He murmured, surveying the menu again.

“Haha, I knew it! You do love sweet things, huh?” Aoba’s eyes were scrunched up with his grin again, and Noiz decided he wanted to protect this face as long as he could.

“It’s probably not as good as your granny’s doughnuts but they have crème brulee?” Aoba’s eyes lit up and Noiz guessed to himself that Aoba was a fan of sweet things, too.

“Sounds good! Do you want to share one?” He asked, already waving over the chef again. Noiz nodded, not that he thought Aoba was watching anyway, and soon enough they had a ramekin placed in front of them with a spoon. “Oh! Let me ask for a second spoon-” Aoba started to call over the chef again, but Noiz had already picked up the spoon and cracked open the crispy top shell of the crème brulee and was spooning up a mouthful which he held out to Aoba.

“Here, take a bite,” He instructed. Aoba turned to face him, a mild look of shock on his face, and took the bite offered to him. Aoba hummed his appreciation as soon as he started chewing, and before Noiz knew it, he had stolen the spoon off of him and taken another spoon full of the dessert.

“Here, your turn!” Aoba said triumphantly as he held out the same spoon to Noiz to eat. Noiz looked between Aoba’s eyes and the spoon for a few seconds before he tentatively leaned in and allowed Aoba to feed him. It was thick and creamy and a little more bitter than he was expecting, probably the burnt caramel on top, but decided the dish was ok. As he was about to pull his face completely away, his eyes met Aoba’s, and he was suddenly aware of how close they were while sharing food like this. He maintained his composure and sat back in his seat, watching how Aoba simply sat there with a serene smile on his face. Since when was Aoba able to smile so carefree like this? He hadn’t smiled at all when they first met. He always seemed to be worried about something, or getting caught up in something. Noiz found himself feeling happy that Aoba was able to relax and not think about whatever things had been worrying him before Platinum Jail.

“Whew, I’m stuffed!” Aoba suddenly exclaimed, patting his belly and giving Noiz his most goofy grin again. That’s when Clear came over to join them, seemingly having had tried one of everything, if the stack of plates he left in his wake were any indication.

“Aoba-san! Did you try the crème brulee? It was so tasty! And also…” Clear rattled on about all the different new foods he’d tried and Aoba turned away from Noiz to give Clear his full attention. They spent a few minutes chatting between themselves, leaving Noiz to stare at Aoba’s back, not that he minded too much, and before long the two old men came back in from their extended smoking break.

“Ah, I guess we should move on if we’re all finished then?” Aoba announced, stretching and exposing a little sliver of skin between his top and his jeans, which Noiz did not miss staring at. “This was fun! We should definitely go out again!” Aoba chirped happily as they all left the restaurant. They all walked together for a little while before they had to start splitting off to head to their respective homes.

“I’ll walk you home, Aoba!” Koujaku spoke up hastily, just before he should have turned to leave for his own apartment.

“I’m fine! I’m a big boy now!” Aoba joked back, a little exasperated probably, and Noiz watched on.

“No, no, it’s late and your house is a little further away!” Koujaku insisted. His house was not, in fact, that much further away, but Noiz thought better than to point that out. Aoba sighed and relented, clapping Koujaku on the shoulder before he turned to Noiz.

“I guess we’ll see you around then!” He said, and pulled Noiz in for a light, friendly hug. Noiz was so shocked he forgot to move, and before he knew it Aoba had pulled away and was walking off with Koujaku, the two of them continuing their childish banter. Noiz found himself stuck at the corner, watching Aoba leave, and boy did he love to watch Aoba leave, though he hated to see him go, and didn’t move to go to his own home until the two others were completely out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read this please give me ideas for future dates please!


	3. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys go on a date to the summer festival to watch fireworks!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Shanhei for the suggestion for this chapter: Festival!
> 
> I've decided it's summer. Also everything I know about summer festivals I got from anime so please be kind. I've lived in Japan for literally every season but summer, because I would never voluntarily go somewhere during summer (their summer is our winter, so there's just no way that's happening!)  
> I have been to winter festivals and touristy places that had street food stalls, and yes choco bananas are a real thing and also they're disgusting. :(  
> Also Men's yukata's are boring AF.

“Hey, they’re having a summer festival this weekend with fireworks! We should go!” Aoba piped up, getting Koujaku’s attention. He was sitting on the floor next to the bed, scrolling idly through his coil, and Aoba was up on the bed behind him, obviously reading some local news articles. It was only the two of them, being a weekday, and Koujaku would be lying if he said he didn’t think this was a chance for he and Aoba to do something together. Alone.

“That sounds great! Do you want to borrow a yukata to wear?” Koujaku asked, trying to mask his eagerness, but ultimately failing. He knew Aoba wouldn’t take it the wrong way, even if that was the way he meant it.

“Yukatas! That would be awesome! I’ll send a message through to the others and let them know about it. Oh, do you have yukatas they could borrow, too?” And there it was, the sentence Koujaku didn’t want to hear. ‘Inviting the others’. He knew that it was innocent and that Aoba just wanted more places and excuses to hang out with all of his friends, but Koujaku was a little disgruntled at the fact that now the two of them didn’t seem to have any real time alone together. Sure, they still hung out from time to time without the whole gang squeezing in, too, but Koujaku was greedy at heart and he wanted Aoba all to himself. Not that he would ever admit that, of course.

“I might have something that’ll fit Clear, but I don’t know about Mink, he’s a bit bigger than me…” Koujaku mused, clearly omitting someone. He hoped that Aoba wouldn’t pick up on it, but of course, Aoba wasn’t that dumb.

“What about Noiz?” Koujaku rolled his eyes, making sure that Aoba couldn’t see his face.

“I don’t know if I really have that many yukatas, Aoba…” He heard Aoba sigh from behind him and he cringed a little. Loath was he to upset Aoba, but there was no way he wanted that beansprout donning one of his outfits. “I probably don’t even have anything he’d like…”

“Let’s all get together at your place then and we can try them on! He might find one he likes. Come on, Koujaku, please?” Aoba had crawled over to the edge of his bed and was hanging over trying to look Koujaku in the face as he pleaded. Koujaku was too weak.

“Fine… See if they’re all free Friday night. The festival is on Saturday, right?” He could see Aoba grinning as he sat back on the bed, and Koujaku let a little huff out unintentionally.

“Yup! I’ll ask them all now if they’re free! Thank you, Koujaku!” Koujaku felt the slender arms of his friend wrap around his shoulders and he swore he forgot how to breathe in that moment. 

“Sure, no problem!” He practically squeaked.

+++

“Hey guys! Come in!” Aoba greeted the other three, who had mystically turned up on Koujaku’s doorstep at the same time. Clear greeted Aoba with a brief hug and quickly moved through the apartment to locate the yukatas.

“Koujaku-san!” Clear called, and Koujaku poked his head out from the door to his bedroom. He cheerfully waved to them all.

“Yeah, yeah, in here!” He called out as he ducked back into the room and surveyed the yukatas he had picked out. There were several choices, all in Koujaku’s size. Clear picked up one that was white with blue waves all over it. He seemed captivated by it, and Aoba came up beside him and offered to help him try it on. While Clear and Aoba were busy, Noiz and Mink inspected the remaining yukata.

“I don’t know if any of these will fit me…” Mink mumbled, and Koujaku waved his hand dismissively.

“Nah, try this one, it’s a bit bigger.” He said, and picked up a dark blue yukata with grey stripes. While Koujaku and Mink busied themselves, Noiz was left to look at the left over offerings. He noticed that they were all generally plain, mostly in blue and grey tones, and he was a little disappointed with the selection. Nothing in his style, clearly. When Aoba had finished dressing a bubbly Clear, he turned to Noiz to help him make a selection.

“Mine’s going to be a bright blue to match my hair. It’s a bit unusual for guys to wear bright colours, but Koujaku insisted…” Aoba rolled his eyes in a way only Noiz could see, and he felt his hear flutter a little bit. A special look meant only for him to see. “What do you think of these ones, Noiz? Any you like?” Noiz looked back to the spread on the bed, but ultimately he didn’t like any of the patterns, and he felt uncomfortable borrowing from the old many anyway.

“It’s fine, I still have tomorrow morning, I can go buy my own.” Noiz said, turning to leave. Aoba gasped and gripped his sleeve, stopping him mid stride. “What’s up?” Noiz asked, giving Aoba a mildly surprised look.

“Um, no, nothing, just… You don’t have to leave just because you’re not going to borrow a yukata. Stay for dinner and maybe drinks?” Noiz was weak to Aoba’s pleading eyes. Even if he didn’t have scrap to use on him anymore, his voice and those eyes were still powerful enough to make even the strongest man fall to his knees.

“Sure,” Noiz relented, and joined Aoba in the living room while the others finished checking out the yukata.

+++

The four of them, Aoba, Clear, Mink, and Koujaku all agreed to meet at Koujaku’s house to get dressed before they headed out to the festival. Noiz had said he’d meet them there, and Aoba was happy enough to let that happen, although he was a bit worried if Noiz knew how to put on a yukata or not. Regardless, the four of them turned up to the meeting spot just after 6pm. To their surprise, Noiz was already waiting underneath the big sign that decorated the entrance into the festival. Aoba couldn’t believe his eyes, although he shouldn’t have been surprised, he thought to himself. Noiz stood dressed in a lime green yukata with navy blue accents in the shape of what Aoba swore was rabbits. How on earth Noiz could source a yukata like that in under a day was beyond him, but none the less, he was there, so the group approached him and Aoba ran up to greet him.

“I can’t believe you managed to find a yukata in time! I’m impressed!” Aoba called out, grabbing Noiz’s attention away from his coil. He looked up and lazily surveyed the group before returning his gaze to Aoba.

“You look good.” He said, looking directly at Aoba and definitely none of the others. Aoba gave a small bashful smile in return.

“You look good, too. The yukata suits you,” Despite the print, Aoba thought to himself. After joining up with Noiz, the group headed into the festival properly to look around. There were various side show games and food stalls and Clear seemed to be the most captivated with all the lanterns and decorations. The sights and smells tantalised his senses, and he appeared to bounce on the spot.

“Aoba-san! Aoba-san! What’s this?” Clear called out, pointing to a little pool with goldfish swimming around.

“Ah, you want to try that, Clear?” Clear nodded enthusiastically, so Aoba walked over with him, the others trailing behind, and the two of them took up little paper scoops to try and scoop up the fish. Clear tried several times, but each time his little scoop broke. He looked depressed by about the 5th try, so Mink stepped in and gave it a try. With an impressive finesse, Mink was able to easily scoop a big, fat gold fish onto his scoop. Clear was so impressed it looked like he had stars in his eyes. Mink wordlessly handed Clear the bag with the freshly caught fish, and Clear looked back up at him with wide eyes.

“Are you sure I can have this?” Clear asked like a small child who had just been given some precious gift. Mink simply nodded in response, then took out his pipe to have a brief smoke. Clear was completely wrapped in his little fish that he spent the rest of the evening trying to think up names and talking with it. Near the fish scoop stand was a stand with guns and towers of metal cans. Koujaku immediately perked up and issued a challenge to Noiz.

“I bet you can’t get the jumbo prize from that one, brat!” He burst out and ran up to the stall to take a gun in hand. Noiz wasn’t at all interested until Koujaku added “Aoba, you can have my prize when I win.” Noiz wanted to wipe that arrogant smirk off of the old man’s face so badly, and if Aoba was in any part of this equation, there was no way Noiz would back down.

“You’re on, old man. Make sure you don’t break your hip with the weight of that gun.” Noiz jeered, and took up a gun next to Koujaku. Koujaku kept aiming for the can in the middle at the very bottom, not realising that the weight of the other cans kept it solidly in place. Noiz took shots at the outer cans first, but ran out of bullets too quickly. The two fought for a few rounds until they noticed the stall owner walk over to another person with the major prize.

“Congratulations, sir! Here’s your prize!” The stall owner called, and placed a giant teddy bear in the arms of Mink, who had shot down the cans easily and accurately. The others just stood there with their mouths agape, looking at him incredulously. Mink shrugged and handed the teddy bear to Aoba, who accepted it with a startled blush.

“Guns are legal in my country,” was all Mink said in response as he headed off to another stall. After walking around a little bit more, Aoba decided he was hungry, so they all agreed to head to the food stalls.

“Oh! What’s Choco Banana?” Clear’s eyes lit up when he saw a stall with brightly coated bananas on sticks. Aoba chuckled but headed over to the stand with Clear to look at the sweets.

“How about we have dessert first then, huh?” Aoba asked with a grin. Clear nodded eagerly and the two of them ordered a banana each. Clear’s was pink with star shaped sprinkles all over it, and Aoba chose a blue one with normal sprinkles on it. As Aoba raised his banana to his mouth, the other four men stared at him with baited breath. He placed the tip in his mouth and was about to bite when he noticed he was being stared at. With a frown he pulled the banana away from his mouth and muttered out a “What?” before he turned around with a huff and bit the banana with a viciousness the others weren’t expecting. When Clear and Aoba had finished their bananas, they all decided to get proper food and take a seat down by the lake to get ready to watch the fireworks. Aoba had chosen yakisoba and Noiz had again ordered takoyaki. Aoba smiled as he watched Noiz eat, causing Noiz to turn around with a small frown.

“What?” He asked, and Aoba’s grin widened.

“You like takoyaki, huh? It’s cute.” Aoba said as he filled his mouth with noodles.

“It’s good. What’s that, then?” Noiz asked, pointing at Aoba’s yakisoba.

“Oh, do you want to try some?” Aoba asked, already scooping up a bunch of noodles to hold out to Noiz. Noiz nodded and moved his head forward to take the offered food. He was immediately reminded of the night they went for sushi, and he guessed that this is what friends do. He didn’t notice that Aoba didn’t share his food with anyone else.

“Mnf, ‘s good…” Noiz mumbled while he chewed, and Aoba looked back at him with a pleased grin.

“You have to give me a piece of takoyaki in return!” Aoba teased, but Noiz nodded and dutifully held out a ball for Aoba to eat. “Ah, I was just jok-Mffg!” Aoba was cut off by Noiz shoving the takoyaki into his mouth. With tears in his eyes, Aoba choked down the food, chewing it up as best he could. “Mn, thanks…” Aoba mumbled after he finally swallowed. Noiz looked innocently confused, so Aoba couldn’t get mad at him. Honestly, this brat.

“Ah, guys! They’re about to start the fireworks!” Koujaku suddenly called out, bringing Aoba’s attention away from Noiz. “Should we move a bit closer to the lake do you think?” He muttered, looking up at all the trees blocking their view of the sky.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Aoba said, standing up. He turned around to offer his hand to Noiz to help him get up. Noiz didn’t quite understand the gesture at first, but he took the hand none the less. He’d learned since scrap that he needed to rely on others a bit more, so he was doing his best, even when he didn’t understand things. “Come on, there’s a good spot down there!” Aoba said cheerily, still holding on to Noiz’s hand even after they’d both stood up. Aoba only let go to turn around and lead the rest of the group to the spot he’d seen. Noiz was left trailing behind, thinking about the warmth in his hand where Aoba had held it. Aoba had taken a seat next to Clear, but his other side was free, so Noiz decided to sit next to him. To be honest, he was surprised that Koujaku hadn’t taken that spot already, but then he spotted the old man and Mink smoking next to a tree and figured that he’d just have to miss out then.

“I’m so excited! I’ve never seen fireworks before!” Clear, who was next to bursting with joy, sighed dreamily. Aoba chuckled at his child-like excitement and put an arm around his shoulder.

“They’re really loud, I hope you’ll be ok with that super hearing of yours!”

“No problem! I can turn down the sound or even mute my ears if I need to!” Clear replied happily. Noiz wondered how many times Clear had used that function on them in the past, especially when he and Koujaku got into fights.

“I hope you don’t use that function on me when I’m talking to you, Clear!” Aoba pretended to pout, but it barely covered his little smile and small giggle.

“Of course not, Aoba-san! I wouldn’t dream of shutting out your voice! Even if it’s different now.” Clear placed his hand over his chest like he was making some sort of pledge of allegiance. Aoba quirked an eyebrow at him, but didn’t say anything else. Soon, they heard the first crack of fireworks and Aoba’s face lit up.

“Ah! They’re starting!” He barely whispered, and if it weren’t for Clear’s super hearing, Noiz would have thought it was a whisper just for his ears. The pops and bangs sounded overhead as various colours and shapes filled the sky. Each bang of colour reflected on Aoba’s face and soon, Noiz found that he wasn’t looking at the sky anymore. He started to tune the sound of the fireworks out when he felt Aoba’s shoulder rest against his own, and eventually he forgot all about the fireworks at all. All too soon, though, the show ended and Aoba moved away from him to stand up.

“That was so cool!” Clear cheered as he got to his feet. Aoba nodded and they began talking about the fireworks animatedly together.

“Which bit did you like the best, Noiz?” Aoba asked suddenly, and Noiz found himself like a deer caught in headlights. He stared wide-eyed for a breath before he finally found his words.

“Colour. The colour was nice.” Was what he finally mumbled. He felt like an idiot, having spent the entire firework show staring at Aoba’s face instead of watching the actual fireworks.

“Mm, I liked the colour, too,” Aoba mused, then smiled. “Koujaku! Remember that one summer festival when we were kids?” Aoba called out and ran over to his friend. They started reminiscing about their childhood and walked back towards the festival stalls. The others followed behind them, and Noiz trailed along at the end. By the end of the fireworks show, the stalls had started closing up.

“Oh, I guess the festival is over now?” Clear asked, looking a little glum. Aoba nodded sadly. 

“There’ll be more festivals in the future, don’t worry. Wait until the winter festival! On the mainland where it snows they have huge snow-structure competitions!” Aoba and Clear happily chatted away about winter festivals, and Noiz could hear Koujaku sigh ‘but it’s still summer!’. Noiz rolled his eyes at the old man, and instead focused on watching Aoba walking ahead of him. The yukata really suited him, and his hair was pinned up high as well so Noiz could see his slender neck. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn’t hear Aoba speak to him.

“What?” He asked, blinking away from his thoughts.

“I said, the takoyaki stall is giving out their leftovers for half price! Do you want to get some?” Aoba said, pointing to the stall. Noiz looked between Aoba and the stall, then slowly nodded. Aoba raised his eyebrow at Noiz, but didn’t say anything as they walked over together. With their orders in hand, they started leaving the festival. Noiz and Aoba ended up side by side as they all walked down the street towards their respective homes. “I guess I’ll see you next time!” Aoba said to Noiz as they neared the corner where their paths separated. Noiz felt his heart clench when he realised their time together was coming to an end.

“I’ll walk you home!” Noiz offered out of desperation. Aoba grinned but waved his hand dismissively.

“Nah, I’m fine by myself. Seriously, you guys have to stop babying me all the time!” Aoba was still grinning, so Noiz felt secure that he wasn’t mad at him for being overprotective, even though he had ulterior motives. “I’ll see you soon, ok?” Aoba said, and brought Noiz in for a bro hug. Unlike last time, Noiz remembered to bring his arms up around Aoba, and he squeezed maybe a little too tight. Aoba didn’t seem to mind, as he pulled away still grinning. “Bye!” Aoba waved as he turned around to walk the opposite direction. Noiz just stood there again watching Aoba disappear down the street, willing his legs to move but being utterly unable to do so.


	4. Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys head to a beach resort for the day/night!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to Shanhei for suggesting today's theme: Beach!
> 
> I don't know what I was thinking honestly I'm sorry.
> 
> Also convenient objects appear out of nowhere because BL logic!

Noiz was sitting on his bed messing around with usagimodoki and finalising some code he needed for work when a message from Aoba came in. Of course he dropped everything to check that message.

“Hey Noiz, how do you feel about the ocean? We’re planning a group trip to a resort that just opened outside of Platinum Jail” Noiz read the message aloud to himself. He smirked. It was unusual for anyone but him to suggest anything to do with Platinum Jail, but he was familiar with the resort since he did some basic code for their check-in system. Although it was set outside of Platinum Jail, it was still built with the same standards, so the others must have been saving for a nice holiday like this. He messaged back quickly asking how long they’d be staying. Immediately a message came back saying ‘Just one night’. Of course. It probably cost an entire week’s pay for just one night. He’d willingly pay for Aoba’s share to stay longer, but he wasn’t keen on staying more than one night with the others if he could help it. He quickly shot back ‘Sounds good’, and set his coil down beside his head.

Aoba was beside himself with excitement the morning of their big trip all the way to the other side of the island. He had packed probably way too much for an overnight stay, but he figured you could never be too careful. He had nearly half a week’s worth of clean clothes and way more toiletries than was probably necessary, not to mention the three pairs of shoes he’d crammed into his suitcase. He hadn’t been on a trip in, well, ever, and even though this was only an overnight stay on the same island he’d never left, it was the first real holiday he could remember having. Koujaku was waiting at the front door with his own overnight bag filled with, Aoba imagined, far less junk than Aoba’s own suitcase.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!” Aoba called out to Koujaku from the stairs. As he came around to face the front door he was met with Koujaku shaking his head at him.

“It’s one night not one month, Aoba, why do you have such a huge case?” Aoba puffed out his cheeks at that and pouted.

“I just don’t want to get caught without something I might need, ok? I’m not used to travelling, unlike you.” Koujaku just kept shaking his head with a chuckle and held the door open for Aoba to leave the house. “Bye, Granny!” Aoba called over his shoulder before he left.

“Don’t forget to lock the door!” Tae called back in her usual grumpy old lady tone. Aoba smiled to himself and rolled his eyes as he walked out the door.

There was a special tour bus from the entry between Platinum Jail and the old residential district that was apparently part of the ‘experience’ of the resort, so the five men decided to meet at the bus depo in Platinum Jail to wait for the resort bus. When Aoba and Koujaku finally arrived they found that the other three were already there, all with much smaller luggage than Aoba.

“Did we keep you guys waiting?” Aoba called out to them, which caused all three of them to lift their faces away from their respective devices and lay their attention on him.

“Mink-san and Noiz-san only just got here, so don’t worry, Aoba-san!” Clear called back, running up to Aoba to give him a welcoming hug. Noiz noticed that Aoba and Clear shared a lot of body contact, and that sent a sharp feeling through his body that he didn’t like.

“How long have you been here then, Clear?” Aoba asked giving him a critical look.

“I arrived exactly one hour early! I didn’t want anyone to be the first and have to wait alone.” Clear responded, as if that made perfect sense. Aoba supposed it did, to Clear at least.

“Aha, well, the bus should be here any minute now, so let’s get ready, ok?” Aoba said, addressing the whole group. Everyone nodded and got into a neat line next to the bus stop. When the bus arrived they all got on, Aoba and Noiz being the last two. “Ah, there’s only two seats left. You don’t mind sitting next to me do you, Noiz?” Aoba asked, pointing to the two last seats on the left of the bus. Noiz nodded and let Aoba sit next to the window. The whole way to the resort Aoba stared out of the window, admiring the view. Occasionally Noiz looked over to see what Aoba was staring at, but mostly he just watched Aoba and relished in the feeling of being so close to him again.

“Ah! We’re finally here!” Clear said with a stretch as they all got off the bus. The journey had been longer than Noiz was expecting, but he guessed it was to drum up the scenic side of having a tour bus. Not that he minded, of course. The quiet time just sitting next to Aoba had been wonderful. 

“Let’s hurry up and check in,” Mink grumbled, already heading towards the entrance of the resort. Everyone followed him silently. Aoba dug around in his bag to find the check-in details, as he had been the one to organise the bookings and everything. The lobby was over the top in decorations, even by Noiz’s standards. Chandeliers of gold and crystal hung in several locations over the main entryway, and large indoor palm trees decorated either side of the reception desk. Noiz noticed that even the benches of the reception desk had precious gems set in it, and the whole room screamed tacky opulence. What else could he expect from Platinum Jail, he supposed.

“Ah! I found it!” Aoba said victoriously pulling a bunch of crumpled sheets of paper from his bag. Noiz was pulled from his thoughts by Aoba’s voice, but he remained silent throughout the check-in process, standing a little way away from the desk. “Ok, we’re on the second floor, room 32!” Aoba said, handing out a little key card to everyone. “Let’s head up and get unpacked!” They all chattered amongst themselves as they headed up to their room, all excited to get into the water very soon. They entered the room, which was just as over-decorated as the main lobby, with ornate light fittings and benches made of precious stones. Even the fittings in the sink seemed to be made out of pure gold. Too much, Noiz thought to himself. He was stood in the kitchen, glaring at the over the top tap when he heard Clear cry out.

“Aoba-san! There are only four beds!” Everyone turned to look at Clear, who was just coming out of what Noiz assumed was one of the bedrooms. “The bedroom near the front door has three single beds, but this one only has one double bed!” He said, face looking pale, if that was possible.

“What? No! The booking must have got messed up! I booked a group room, it’s meant to have 6 single beds, actually!” Aoba said, looking panicked. “I’ll head down to reception and get it sorted out! Just wait here and don’t unpack anything yet!” Aoba practically slammed the door on his way out, and the others got comfortable on the couches in the main living area. They all sat in silence for maybe half an hour, no one able to bring up a conversation topic. Noiz realised that they really didn’t have anything in common other than being friends with Aoba. If Noiz didn’t feel like he was competing with them for Aoba’s attention, he might have thought that it was sad.

“D-Does anyone want a glass of water?” Clear suddenly said, standing up from his place on one of the armchairs. It seemed that he couldn’t sit still in this uncomfortable silence, either. Koujaku and Mink shook their heads, but Noiz nodded and stood up.

“Let me help you,” Noiz offered, but Clear shook his head and held up a hand.

“It’s fine, Noiz-san. You just sit down and relax!” He sighed and took his seat again, watching Clear buzz around the kitchenette. When clear came back to the lounge area with just one glass of water for Noiz, he realised that Clear was just trying desperately to find something to break the silence in the room. Thankfully, the front door opened again shortly after and Aoba came trudging back in, looking defeated.

“They said there was an error with the booking, but they can’t change our rooms because they’re fully booked out this weekend…” Aoba said, voice trembling like he had been yelling or ‘negotiating’ very harshly, and Noiz suddenly was curious what a truly incensed Aoba would look like.

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about that then, don’t worry about it, Aoba, we’ll figure it out!” Koujaku said, coming over to comfort Aoba. Noiz felt himself twitch at the sight of Koujaku wrapping an arm around Aoba’s shoulder.

“But,” Aoba said, shaking Koujaku off slightly so he could look at him properly, “We have to decide who’s going to sleep where!”

“I guess two of us will just have to share a bed,” Noiz spoke up. His intentions were innocent, but everyone looked at him as if he had just swore in front of the bible.

“F-Fine! I guess we have no choice!” Aoba huffed, a blush creeping across his cheeks. “Lets play janken to decide who has to share.” He suggested. Everyone else looked at each other briefly, but all circled around into a group to play the game without question. Koujaku won the first hand, which he looked triumphant about, and the others kept playing. Eventually Mink won, then Clear, which left Aoba and Noiz. “Aha, I guess we lost, Noiz,” Aoba said sheepishly. “I hope you don’t mind sharing a bed with me…” Aoba trailed off, looking away, clearly embarrassed. 

“Wait, what? But I won!” Koujaku blurted out. Everyone turned to stare at him and he rushed to cover himself. “I mean, I thought that meant that I had to sleep in the bed, and that I’d chose who I had to share with?” He said, clearly getting more and more embarrassed as he spoke. Noiz suddenly understood why he’d looked triumphant before. He was hoping to use this as an excuse to sleep with Aoba. Noiz couldn’t help the smirk that graced his face as he realised what he had gained over the other.

“Why would it mean that, Koujaku? Hippo!” Aoba shouted, his face red and his cheeks puffed out. Noiz thought he looked terribly endearing like this.

“I-I don’t know! Ok! Fine! Forget it!” Koujaku grumbled, picking up his bag. “I’m gonna go get unpacked then!” He said as he stormed off to the bedroom with the single beds. Mink and Clear hurried off after him and left Aoba and Noiz alone together.

“Haha… I guess we should go get unpacked too. Which side of the bed do you prefer?” Aoba asked, already dragging his suitcase into the main bedroom. Noiz followed after him, inspecting the room as he entered, and hummed to himself.

“I don’t have a preference.” He said, plopping his bag down thoughtlessly on the bed as he looked around.

“Mm, well, let’s say that’s your side of the bed then, huh?” Aoba said, pointing to Noiz’s bag. Noiz looked at his bag as if seeing it for the first time.

“Ah, oh, yeah. Ok.” He mumbled to himself. Aoba nodded and began unpacking his own belongings. Noiz watched as item after item seemed to spill out of Aoba’s bag. “Why did you bring so much?” Noiz asked, peering over into Aoba’s suitcase.

“Ah, Koujaku said the same thing to me! I’m just being practical! You never know what might happen…” Aoba pouted. “Anyway, let’s get into our swimsuits and get out to the beach! I bet the others are waiting, too!” Noiz nodded and dug around in his bag for his own Speedos. It took him maybe a minute to realise, but Aoba was getting changed right in front of him. He took a peek for a bit, watching as Aoba slipped his jeans past his hips, frustratingly keeping his underwear on for the time being. Noiz decided to be a decent person and speak up.

“Um, don’t you want to change in the bathroom?” Noiz said, still watching Aoba, but he worried how embarrassed the other would be if he realised what he was doing.

“Huh? It’s fine isn’t it? We’re both guys! It’s not like it’s something you haven’t seen before!” Aoba smiled innocently. Noiz felt his skin prickle with excitement as Aoba hooked his thumb into his underpants and went to slide them down. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Aoba turned around to face the other wall as he finally got naked. Noiz, of course, took the opportunity to stare openly at Aoba’s ass while the other couldn’t see him. He figured that he should probably change himself, so as not to rise suspicion out of Aoba for not getting dressed. Out of respect, he turned around to face away from Aoba and began removing his own clothes. Eventually he was neatly tucked in to his little Speedos, and he turned around to find Aoba staring at him with an amused look on his face.

“What?” Noiz asked, quirking an annoyed eyebrow at Aoba.

“Nothing, it’s just… Speedos?” Aoba almost chuckled, but covered his mouth to muffle it. Aoba was dressed in board shorts that almost came down to his knee and a light white shirt that was unbuttoned, revealing his torso. Noiz put his hands on his hips with a huff, thrusting his hips forward.

“What? Worried I haven’t left enough to your imagination?” Noiz smirked. Aoba’s face immediately turned to an unimpressed expression and he rolled his eyes.

“Why are you thinking about my imagination? I guess you want all the cute girls to stare at you out there, huh?” Aoba huffed, and Noiz thought he almost caught a hint of jealousy, but it must have been his imagination. He wouldn’t admit that he wanted Aoba to stare at him the whole day. He was desperate for Aoba’s attention, but he knew he couldn’t have it all.

“Whatever. Let’s see if the others are ready to head out…” Noiz said flippantly, and turned to leave the bedroom.

“Fine” Aoba said, following him out into the main living area. Clear and Mink were already waiting in the lounge room, both dressed in perfectly ordinary swimwear, but Koujaku was apparently still in the bedroom.

“Ah! Noiz-san! You have a piercing there, too?” Clear pointed to Noiz’s belly with his mouth agape. Mink and Aoba took a good look, too, and Aoba’s face turned red.

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice that before!” He said, putting his hand over his mouth and looking away. 

“Too busy looking at my junk, huh?” Noiz teased. He relished in the bright red that Aoba’s face turned when he said that. Aoba looked so indignant that he looked like he was about to burst, but before he could say anything Koujaku wandered out of the bedroom finally.

“What’s going on in here?” Koujaku said lightly, looking between Aoba and everyone else.

“N-N-N-Nothing!” Aoba spat. His eyes landed on Koujaku, or more accurately, Koujaku’s outfit, and he quirked an eyebrow. “What are you wearing?”

“Hm? This? It’s a wetsuit. Haven’t you ever seen one before?” Koujaku looked at himself, then back to Aoba.

“You planning on surfing?” Mink spoke up. Koujaku turned to face him, rubbing his neck a little. 

“Ah, no, um. I just… You know. I prefer to be covered…” Koujaku trailed off. Noiz couldn’t tell what was up with him, but he also didn’t really care, either. So what if the old man was wearing something weird? It wasn’t anything new.

“We should get Koujaku-san an outfit like Noiz-san’s!” Clear suggested. Everyone turned to face him, and he looked back like he didn’t understand what the issue was. “It looks easy to swim in!” He insisted.

“Ugh, anyway, lets head down to the beach!” Aoba said, already heading for the door. “Don’t forget your keycards!” 

When they finally got to the beach there were a lot more people than any of them had expected. The resort created a sort of private beach section by surrounding a crescent of sand with the hotel building. Along the beach were sun chairs and umbrellas, and there were several cafes and food carts along the paved area just outside the hotel doors. There were even carts that sold things like pool toys and towels. Aoba breathed in the salty sea air happily and hurried down to the sand, everyone else following haphazardly. Everyone headed straight into the water, but Noiz decided to claim a beach umbrella and sat down underneath it. He reclined back on a chair that had been left there, and pulled up his holo-screens. The sound of people laughing and chatting and splashing around in the water filled his ears, and he found himself wishing he could go back to the hotel room. Before long he felt the sensation of water droplets hitting his feet rhythmically. When he looked up he found an unimpressed looking Aoba hovering over him.

“Just what do you think you’re doing, mister?” Aoba said with a frown. Noiz shrugged his shoulders, putting away the screens.

“Just thought I’d catch up on some work…”

“No! No! No work! This is supposed to be a holiday!” Aoba’s frown deepened, and his voice was harsh. Noiz had hardly seen him like this, though he did get angry quite easily.

“Will you rub sunscreen on me then?” Noiz teased. To his surprise, Aoba’s shoulders went lax and he let out a huge sigh.

“You’re hopeless, you know? Come here then!” He motioned for Noiz to sit up as he bent down to pick up a bottle of sunscreen. Noiz briefly wondered when it had come from, but before he could say or do anything, Aoba was already squirting the liquid on his body. “You can at least do your arms and legs, right? I’ll help with your back!” Noiz dutifully rubbed the cream into all of the areas he could reach, and then turned his back to Aoba for the finishing touch. “Seriously, you’re such a child…” Aoba continued to mutter as he slowly rubbed the lotion into Noiz’s skin. Noiz had tuned out Aoba’s grumbling, but he was hyper aware of his hands on his back. He felt like this was a bit more intimate than it should have been; Aoba was really working the sunscreen into all areas of his back. He jolted a little when he felt Aoba’s hands reach his hips and the area just above his butt. He knew Aoba wouldn’t think twice about it, but Noiz’s mind was already wandering, thinking about other places he’d like these hands to explore. All too soon, though, Aoba pulled back and said “There, done!” and stood up, reaching a hand out to help Noiz stand.

“Thanks…” Noiz mumbled and Aoba simply smiled and hummed back. He followed Aoba into the water where the others were waiting and tentatively put his feet in. The water was frigid, but on his hot skin it felt wonderfully cold. He slowly walked into the water, whereas Aoba was already waist deep again, splashing around and playing with Clear. Mink seemed to be floating or something, and Koujaku was just hovering around Aoba, like he wanted to play, but not too sure how to engage. Noiz decided to show him up and swam up to Aoba and Clear like a shark. From behind Aoba, Noiz jumped out of the water and splashed a small wave over Aoba, splashing Clear with the excess. 

“H-Hey! You brat!” Aoba laughed, and splashed back in turn. Noiz could see that Koujaku was annoyed, but he was actually having a bit of fun himself and ignored the old man for once. After splashing around for a while, Noiz got bored and decided to return to his spot in the shade. The chair he had been sitting on had been taken away, so he just sat himself on the sand in the shade and watched the others play around for a little while. 

Noiz didn’t know how long he had been laying in the shade for, but suddenly he sat up to find the others walking towards him, still mucking around. His eyes landed on Aoba, and he immediately noticed how low his board shorts were hanging around his hips. The little trail of hair on his belly was visible, his hipbones protruding deliciously from the waistband of his shorts. Noiz found himself unable to look away.

“Aoba! Look at how these shorts hang on you! You’re so skinny!” Koujaku teased. Aoba punched him in the arm with a frown.

“Am not! I’m a perfectly normal size!” Aoba insisted.

“Actually, Aoba-san is approximately 2 kilos underwei-Oof!” Clear found himself kicked in the shin before he could finish his sentence, a very grumpy Aoba standing above him.

“Shut up both of you!” Aoba huffed and sat himself down next to Noiz with a thump. With a sigh he leaned against Noiz’s shoulder. “You don’t think I’m too skinny, do you Noiz?” Aoba said lightly, as if he knew Noiz wouldn’t dare argue with him. Noiz was not that smart.

“You are pretty scrawny…” Noiz offered, and earned a slap to his shoulder.

“You’re all so mean! You’re the ones who just got too big!” Aoba pouted and laid himself back on the sand.

“Actually, Aoba-san, I am incapable of growth!” Clear chimed in, which earned him a deathly glare from Aoba.

“Fuck every one of you!” Aoba said, deflated. The others laughed at him, but Noiz simply observed him. Was Aoba underweight? Was that even a problem? Noiz decided to take him clothes shopping later. A smaller pair of shorts would be a better solution. Noiz wanted to say something comforting, but he was beaten to the punch by Mink.

“You’re fine the way you are, Aoba.” Everyone turned to look at Mink with surprise, like they couldn’t believe he’d say something positive. Aoba smiled and nodded his head back.

“Yeah. See? Mink gets it!” Aoba yelled at Koujaku and Clear, who both looked away sheepishly. Aoba sat up properly then and leaned against Noiz again. “Ugh, the sun’s starting to set. We should probably head inside, huh?” The others agreed, and everyone made their way back to the showers to wash off the sand and ocean water before heading inside to get changed.

Once everyone was dressed in normal clothes again, they all decided it would be fun to check out the resort restaurant. Again, the restaurant was as opulently decorated as the rest of the resort. Chandeliers over every table, with expensive looking china already laid out at every seat. Even the menus were bordered with gold. Noiz was used to this kind of overt wealth, but Aoba was staring at everything with his mouth open, as if he hadn’t already stayed half a day in this mess.

“What are you guys gonna order?” Aoba spoke up, still observing the menu. Everyone shared their orders with him, Mink going for a steak whereas Koujaku stuck with something more traditional like a seafood platter. “What about you, Noiz?” Aoba asked, friendly smile on his face. It looked like he’d calmed down from the teasing earlier.

“Hm, pasta…” Noiz mumbled, pretending to read the menu like he hadn’t already decided when they walked in.

“Pasta? No, Noiz! Order something you haven’t had before! Live a little!” Aoba pouted like it was a personal offence that Noiz would revert back to his trusted pasta.

“Hmf. Fine, what do you suggest?” Noiz asked with a huff. Aoba looked taken aback, and surveyed the menu again, looking for something decent to suggest.

“Uh, um… Er…” Aoba desperately looked all over the menu for something to suggest, but in the end he sighed and resigned himself to failure. “T-The pasta looks good…” Noiz smirked triumphantly, but Aoba ignored him, striking up conversation with Clear instead. They all chatted casually until their meals arrived, and then they mostly ate in silence save for the sound of cutlery scraping against china. The rest of their evening was spent similarly, just chatting about whatever came to mind and watching the T.V. in the living room of the hotel room mindlessly. Noiz largely ignored it all and opted to work instead, receiving little swats on the arm from Aoba for it.

“Ah, I’m exhausted!” Aoba said eventually, stretching his arms out. “I’m gonna head to bed guys! Good night!” Everyone waved him good night and decided they’d head to bed too. Noiz simply nodded at them and headed into the room with Aoba.

“Are you sure you’re ok with this? I can sleep on the couch if you want…” Noiz spoke up once it was just him and Aoba alone.

“Don’t be silly! That couch is tiny there’s no way you’d fit on it! Just get in bed, there’s no need to make a huge deal out of it!” Aoba waved him off, taking his top off and sifting around in his bag for some pyjama pants. Noiz watched him change again without a word, realising by the minute how actually a huge deal this really was. He forced himself to get changed into sleepwear himself and climbed into bed beside Aoba, who had already snuggled into the blankets and was breathing slow and evenly. Noiz faced him, watching his face calmly. He longed to reach out and touch Aoba’s face, to run his thumb along his lips, hold his chin and pull him close. He sighed and rolled over, hoping that he could ignore the urge to do something stupid.

In the morning, Noiz woke to Aoba wrapped around his body, clinging onto him tightly and lightly drooling on his shirt. He decided to relish in the embrace before waking up his sleeping beauty.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment date suggestions for these nerds!


End file.
